How to Use risk in a Sentence

risk

1 of 2 noun
  • The trip didn't seem like much of a risk.
  • To me, skydiving is not worth the risk.
  • Smoking is a risk to your lungs.
  • The degree of risk is minimal.
  • I prefer not to expose my money to too much risk.
  • I'm aware of the risks associated with this treatment.
  • We feel that this product presents a significant risk to public health.
  • Wearing a seatbelt greatly reduces the risk of injury or death in a car accident.
  • There is a risk of liver damage with this medication.
  • All investments have an element of risk.
  • Police said that the boy could be at risk.
    — Fedor Zarkhin, Los Angeles Times, 7 May 2026
  • The chicken here is worth the risk.
    — Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 30 Apr. 2026
  • But pet owners should be aware of the risks.
    — Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Miami Herald, 24 Mar. 2026
  • But doing it that way came with risks, too.
    — Andrew Greif, NBC news, 7 Apr. 2026
  • There are risks on the demand side as well.
    — Clay Chandler, semafor.com, 14 Apr. 2026
  • Note that there is some risk that your glass may break in the process.
    — Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 9 Nov. 2025
  • But some of the senior staff see that as a risk.
    — Jason Pham, StyleCaster, 12 Oct. 2025
  • That's the mystery, the choice, the risk.
    — Susan Sontag, Vogue, 26 Oct. 2025
  • So who is willing to take the risk, and who isn’t?
    — Hanna Rosin, The Atlantic, 4 June 2026
  • These artists pour years of work and risk into their craft.
    — Vibhas Ratanjee, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
  • The area is now secure and there is no longer a risk.
    — Greg Norman, FOXNews.com, 11 Oct. 2025
  • All of this has raised a host of new risks for consumers.
    — Will Stone, NPR, 31 Mar. 2026
  • Leave the wraps in place until the risk of spring frost has passed.
    — Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 2 Nov. 2025
  • But the heat risk at that match is clear, Mullan says.
    — Rebecca Hersher, NPR, 4 June 2026
  • The real risk is not that machines will think like us.
    — Bernard Marr, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
  • The risk for autism decreased to about 15%.
    — Kristen Rogers, CNN Money, 14 May 2026
  • That shift sounds bold and carries real risk.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 24 Feb. 2026
  • Everybody on the road is at risk.
    — Megan De Mar, CBS News, 28 Jan. 2026
  • There is a risk with either outcome.
    — Jasmine Browley, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
  • This risk decreases as the storm moves away.
    — Kansas City Star Weather Bot, Kansas City Star, 25 June 2026

risk

2 of 2 verb
  • The country risked a war.
  • She risked her life to save her children.
  • He risked breaking his neck.
  • The company is risking the loss of millions of dollars.
  • It's not wise to risk traveling so soon after surgery.
  • He risked all his money on starting his own business.
  • I'm not willing to risk getting lost. I'm going to buy a map.
  • She's risking being considered too sentimental.
  • Don’t risk killing your plants for a neat trim.
    — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 3 Nov. 2025
  • The health risks from this stress response are long-term.
    — Claudia Boyd-Barrett, CBS News, 18 June 2026
  • Yet she’s chased down, shot at, and risks contempt of court.
    — Kaycee Sloan, Cincinnati Enquirer, 9 Oct. 2025
  • So why is Trump willing to risk that now?
    — Javed Ali, Fortune, 1 Mar. 2026
  • Old men send young boys to fight and risk maiming or death for the rest of us.
    — Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 27 Mar. 2026
  • Better to stop and grab a pass than risk a ticket!
    — Jaclyn Cosgrove, Los Angeles Times, 7 May 2026
  • McAuliffe risked her life so that children could learn about space.
    — Harvey Young, Chicago Tribune, 29 Jan. 2026
  • Someone willing to risk their life to leak the files.
    — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 29 Aug. 2025
  • The one that exposes you to risk.
    — Jack Pitt-Brooke, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2026
  • Your home might seem safe, but many things can risk your health or damage your house.
    — Bestreviews, Mercury News, 15 Apr. 2026
  • People risked their lives for those pieces of paper.
    — Helena Carpio, Time, 16 Jan. 2026
  • Any ship that docked in the city’s harbor risked losing its crew.
    — Jennifer Wilson, New Yorker, 4 May 2026
  • It's rigged with landmines…My aunt risked her life to cross over.
    — David Unsworth, FOXNews.com, 17 Feb. 2026
  • Why risk their futures, their livelihoods and even their lives for wildlife?
    — Christine Peterson, Outdoor Life, 5 Mar. 2026
  • Five days is not a lot of time, so don't dwell and risk your faves running out of stock.
    — Sarah Han, Allure, 19 Oct. 2023
  • Pushing too hard risked breaking trust.
    — Aslak De Silva, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
  • Caton plays a preacher’s teenage son in the movie who risks his soul to sing blues music.
    — Itzel Luna, Los Angeles Times, 16 Mar. 2026
  • An athlete who plays through pain, risking his long-term health for the good of the team?
    — Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 15 Apr. 2026
  • Catcher is not a spot that a team will risk not having a backup for long.
    — Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 June 2026
  • Gulf states have little incentive to risk the wrath of their publics.
    — Alexandra Stark, Foreign Affairs, 11 Jan. 2024
  • Call spreads may risk less than buying the stock after the recent sharp run.
    — Michael Khouw, CNBC, 2 Mar. 2026
  • To talk about it too loudly was to risk sounding like you’d given up.
    — Natalie Unterstell, Time, 6 Nov. 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'risk.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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